Ok, I will say it right away. I have never liked Flash… There I said it. I have never been a fan of Flash, and I was actually feeling bad about not liking this “new trend” back then. The main reason was that Flash relies way too much on coding, and I always believed this software can be configured in a way that you can achieve the same results with no coding what’s so ever. And Adobe finally heard me : ) Flash Catalyst is exactly the way I have been expecting Flash to be since day 1. Now that Catalyst is out, it make me wonder why Adobe hadn’t think about this before. I know the capabilities of it is still limited, but I’m sure Adobe will improve it version by version. So, there you have it, Flash Catalyst is a nice software with interactive features, which can actually be used by designers (not programmers) as well.

When I first heard about Apple’s iPad, I was sure that it would change the way we teach, and the way students learn, in school. I was just not sure when. And it seems like the time has arrived. I have just come across with Inkling, which is a new and innovative way of producing e-textbooks with a twist. The twist is two-fold. Firstly, the pages are replaced by “cards,” which makes the books look more like flash cards for students. Additionally, the books can contain audio and video elements, as well as interactive quizes. Secondly, in addition to having several interactive features such as highlighting and bookmarking, Inkling also allows users to add friends to their circle and share notes, bookmarks and highlights. Users can even ask a question about a note to his/her friends and receive their answers, creating a collaborative way of learning.

I believe this is going to be the beginning of a new and exciting phase in teaching and learning. The iPad is truly a revolutionary product and I am excited to see what’s coming next.